16 



The Florists^ Review 



January 16, 1913. 



has the ability and the tact to make 

 all toe the line, should do much to make 

 amends for the past. The new secre- 

 tary, J. B. Eiding, is an eloquent 

 speaker, a fluent writer and a clever 

 grower and exhibitor of decorative 

 dahlias. 



Happily, however, there has been no 

 falling off in the popularity of the 

 dahlia itself. True, the cactus, show 

 and pompon types have not made much 

 headway in . public favor, judging by 

 nurserymen's sales generally, but the 

 collarette and garden decorative types 

 have caught on. The collarettes were 

 introduced from Germany and France 

 a few years ago. The German type 

 usually has rounded petals; the French 

 type, pointed or star-shaped, but in 

 form and in range of colors both are 

 now eclipsed by British raised varie- 

 ties, especially by the numerous varie- 

 ties from the nurseries of Dobbie & 

 Co., Edinburgh, who easily lead in this 

 section. Peony-flowered dahlias, intro- 

 duced from Holland prior to the col- 

 larettes, still hold their ground, and for 

 a gay show of color they deserve a 

 place in the garden. 



National Chrysanthemum Society. 



The National Chrysanthemum So- 

 ciety is all alive and has experienced a 

 busy year, especially its floral commit- 

 tee, which has dealt with 250 novelties. 

 In future the modest fee of 1 shilling 

 will be charged for each novelty placed 

 before the committee. Probably the 

 fee is too low to deter any from trying 

 their luck. In the judging of market 

 or commercial varieties a new scale of 

 pointing will be introduced next season. 

 I have looked up the American scale of 

 judging commercial varieties, and I 

 find the English runs on similar lines, 

 with one or two important differences 

 which Review readers can easily look 

 up for themselves. British scale: Color, 

 20; form, 20; fullness, 10; petal, 10; 

 stem, 10; foliage, 10; habit of plant, 

 20; total, 100. 



Single chrysanthemums continue to 

 make considerable headway. Now that 

 raisers have got more substance into 

 the petals, they are in demand for dec- 

 orative work generally, and they will 

 be judged in future on the following 

 scale: Form, 20; color, 20; petal, 10; 

 eye, 10; stem, 10; foliage, 10; habit of 

 plant, 20; total, 100. 



Cold Storage of Valley. 



A case of considerable importance to 

 the lily of the valley trade has just 

 been decided in the London law courts. 

 , A. A. Sylvester, Hampton, a large 

 forcer of lily of the valley, was sued 

 by the Imperial Cold Stores for pay- 

 ment of £25 for storage of lilies in 

 cases. Defendant admitted the amount, 

 but counterclaimed for damages in re- 

 spect of an alleged breach of contract 

 relating to 57,000 lily crowns, packed 

 in nineteen cases of 3,000 each. When 

 opened after storage all the nineteen 

 eases were found more or less started 

 into growth. The growing crowns had 

 become matted or entwined with the 

 roots in other bundles, and vice versa, 

 and could not be separated without in- 

 jury. Many bundles, particularly those 

 in the middle of the cases, were not 

 frozen at all. 



Defendant had given instructions, 

 when the cases went to the stores, that 

 they were to be stood out apart from 

 one another for a certain period, so that 

 the contents would be frozen through 

 to the center of each case before stack- 

 ing them in the stores. Evidence was 

 given that these instructions were not 

 carried out, and although the cases 

 were, apart from this, stored in the 

 usual manner and a proper temperature 

 was maintained, growth took place as 

 stated. After evidence on both sides 

 was heard, the judge said: "I am 

 clearly of opinion that the goods never 

 were properly frozen, so as to prevent 

 growth during the required period, and 

 I give judgment for the defendant at 

 £110 and costs." Bee. 



FETEB MURRAY'S PLANT. 



Quite a number of the leading florists 

 in Massachusetts have graduated from 

 the ranks of the private gardeners. 

 Practically all of these have made a 

 success of commercial floriculture and 

 would not wish to return to the ranks 

 of the privates. A few of those in this 

 class occurring to me at the moment are 

 Alexander Montgomery, Pieter Fisher, 

 William Nicholson, M. H. Walsh, John 

 Barr, F. E. Palmer, James Wheeler, 

 Arthur Griffin, and Peter Murray. The 

 subject of this notice is, as his name 

 would indicate, a native of the land o' 

 cakes. He was for a good manv years 

 head gardener for the late W. P. Win- 

 sor, of Fairhaven, and grew all classes 

 of plants well, including orchids, secur- 



ing many medals and certificates at the 

 Boston shows. 



In 1905 Mr. Murray made his venture 

 into commercialism and for two years 

 hired his employer's greenhouse, mov- 

 ing to his present excellent location 

 five years ago. Mr. Murray's name 

 came prominently before the public a 

 few years ago as the originator of the 

 Winsor carnation, introduced by the 

 F. R. Pierson Co., a variety popular 

 both here and in Europe. 



Since locating at his present stand, 

 Mr. Murray has added three houses, 

 each 160 feet long, for carnations, 

 mums, etc. He grows 6,500 carnations 

 in his largest house, varieties being 

 Winsor, White Winsor, Beacon and 

 Pink Delight. He grows some 6,000 

 mums and 2,500 violets. Antirrhinum 

 is popular and is heavily grown. One 

 lean-to house, 150 feet long, holds 10,000 

 small ferns. Asparagus Sprengeri fills 

 a house of similar size. Some 2,000 

 azaleas are imported and sold annually 

 and 200,000 bulbs of various kinds are 

 forced. Quite a number are also 

 grown outside. Last Memorial day a 

 batch of 6,000 Darwin tulips were just 

 on time. This season another house 

 was built for cattleyas. A general line 

 of flowering and foliage plants for dec- 

 orative purposes also is grown. Some 

 50,000 bedding plants are disposed of 

 annually. Two steel hot water boilers 

 procured from Kroeschell Bros. Co., 

 Chicago, do the heating. All green- 

 house walls, pipe supports and walks 

 are of concrete. 



Nearly all stock is sold at retail, the 

 wealthy residential town of Fairhaven, 

 the city of New Bedford with over 

 100,000 people over the river, and many 

 other towns along the cape having reg- 

 ular customers. Tlie retail end has 

 developed so that a design maker is 

 kept constantly employed, a thirty 

 horse -power motor making prompt de- 

 livery. Another car of similar horse- 

 power is used by Mr. Murray in his 

 business. 



His landscape department employs 

 thirty to forty men and uses up a lot 

 of material. One or two parks are in 

 Mr. Murray's charge. He is also tree 

 warden of the town, and the trees show 

 that they are well cared for. One of 

 the best assets a florist can have is a 

 capable wife, and Mrs. Murray is well 

 qualified to manage a business herself. 



W. N. Craig. 



Eitablishment of Peter Murray, at Fairhaven, Mats. 



